Pakistan is a beautiful country having many historical places which attract about 0.7million tourists. There are many historical buildings in different cities of Pakistan which attract tourists from all over the world. Takht-e Bahi is one of them.The 2000 year old Buddhist ruins in Takht-e-Bahi representing the history of Buddhism in this area.
It is occupying a prominent place.
It is located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. The distance from Peshawar is about 80 kilometers, but at a distance of 15 kilometers from Mardan on Swat Malakand road. It is 500 feet above the plain. The road through which it is approached is a twisting path. It is known as Takht-e-Bahi because it was built on the top of the hill and watered by spring. Takht-e-Bahi is pronounced ‘tock-bye’ by the locals.
This great religious monastery was established by the Bhiku Siva, son of Iphano. A French officer in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh first talked about Takht-e-Bahi in 1836. Archaeologists think that the construction was started in the first century BC and new parts may have been added as late as 7th century AD. Dig teams from the British in 1907 and the Pakistanis from the 1970s have worked for restoring the monastery. Looters have hit the site so that the current remains under the lock.
There are monastic chambers and a court of many Stupas, which is rectangular in shape. On the eastern side there is an Assembly Hall and on the western side there are a number of votive stupas. The basement of these stupas has Corinthian pillars. On the north there is the main monastery found while on south is the well-planned monastic shrine on the raised terrace. This unique shrine has stupa in the middle. There is an open courtyard in the middle and cells on the sides.
The Tantric monastic complex consists of small and dark cells with low openings. These have been used for certain Tantric meditation. There is a bathroom in the corner too. It is constructed from local stone, and is mortared with lime and mud. The Sculptures depict the life of Buddha, his birth and different events of his life. Because of its religious and remarkable features Takht-E-Bahi has declared as the world heritage side by UNESCO.
Much of the monastery is still intact and rooms like the kitchens and other common areas are standing. The meditation cells are also intact, but unfortunately it is decaying fast. The population is increasing people are coving the areas of this site. If government will not take any step towards the betterment of these historic places in the near future, it is expected that the beauty of this place will be ruined and historic attractions will disappear.
